Wake Up and Smell the Pheromones
by M. Calcifer
Summary: It started with an awkward accident. Nobody envisaged that they'd have this romantic affliction. Everything was going smoothly but, again… ANOTHER ACCIDENT HAPPENED. Will their relationship finally meet its denouement the same way it all started?
1. Chapter 1: Hapless Start

**SYNOPSIS: **"Who—who are you?" It all started with a freakish and rather awkward accident; eventually turning Ruka and Hotaru's world upside-down. Never would one envisage that they'd both manage to have this romantic affliction. Natsume and Mikan already have their story and now is Ruka and Hotaru's turn to have one. Everything was going smoothly but then, again… ANOTHER UNHERALDED ACCIDENT HAPPENED. Will their relationship finally meet its denouement the same way it all started?

**DISCLAIMER**: I do not own Gakuen Alice and it totally hurts feeling my heartstrings twisted into tormenting knots, knowing that I can never have the authority. Tachibana-san, you're free to spurn the drama. Please proceed.

One more thing, the intro before the actual Chapter 1 is in Ruka's POV; the rest are not. **READ & REVIEW**. Arigatou.

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**.:. ****Wake Up and Smell the Pheromones**** .:.**

* * *

...

The rest of the academy knew nothing else, except maybe for the mediocre facts. I just wish I was a whit of that particular populace who are fortunate enough to get on with their usual stuff. But this is really JUST a wish, after all; a beaming ember of false hope beyond the grasp of reality.

Just as the whole place almost reached its placid perfection, the surroundings became unremarkably dark, gradually obscuring what were finely illuminated just a moment ago. The once-azure sky started pouring its cold tears, shattering the deafening silence of the breeze with its continuous 'pitter-pattering'. I admit that I was veritably spacing out until raindrops acted as wake-up calls for me.

_Oh, rain. Good._

I could use some help now that tears started trickling down on my face. I'd rather get wet under the rain rather that let them, especially Natsume, see me cry. I want to be strong like him, one who could suppress the sudden surge of his emotions. But, I'm just not like him, no matter what I do.

So I guess it's probably better this way. However, I don't want to disappoint him by letting him witness my weakness. But I just can't help it.

Sitting on the dewy grass, I slowly buried my head on my knees, bit my lip and tried my best to stop myself from blubbering.

_Stop it, Ruka. This is stupid._

I wanted to bang my head on a rock just to refrain the dolefulness welling up inside and threatening to free itself. I wanted to scream and wreak havoc my vocal chords, if only that could help.

_What on earth's wrong with me? I'm not supposed to be this pathetic! I'm thinking way out of proportion!_

But, maybe…

Maybe I love you more than ever.

No, it's not "maybe".

I **do** love you more than ever. That's it. I love you so much that it excruciatingly kills me, thinking that I might lose you. And I think it really is a bad idea sitting beneath the same tree on which we etched our names together: _**HotaRuka**_. I sighed intemperately.

_I can't bear to lose you…_

It started.

…_especially the same way I realized how important you are to me._

I'm blubbering.

_Because I love you, Imai._

I'm whimpering.

_I'm quite sure you know that…_

Can you here me? Hold on.

…_but I don't think you'll remember._

Imai.

...

* * *

**.:. CHAPTER ONE .:.**

**Hapless Start**

* * *

...

"IF YOU LOVE LIFE, ANNOY SOMEBODY ELSE (OR YOU'LL REGRET HAVING BEEN BORN). I'M WORKING - HOTARU"

Mikan Sakura smiled cheekily at the sight of the sign nailed to Hotaru's door. No, she's not insane to act so cutely after reading a sign board which obviously appeared, if we translate the words written on it to Hotaru's Imai's blunt language, more like a death threat to those who are insensible of the inventor's capability to punish using her alice. Normal people would mostly feel goosebumps crawling in their skin right after skimming through the clauses "If you love life" and "or you'll regret having been born". But to every rule, there's an exception. And that exception would be Mikan.

To put it overtly, the sunny nullifying alice user is completely unaware of Hotaru's "morbid" side. It's just that stuffs like these always triggers crazy flashbacks, for instance, the time she first deemed Hotaru as her rival when she transferred in Mikan's school during third grade. This is the reason behind her currently dumb smile.

_Since our personalities are rather different, I think we would be better off as a pair of two pretty girls. _*

That was it. That mere confrontation was powerful and highly persuasive enough for the Sakura girl to adore Hotaru and subconsciously abandon her fruitless schemes to challenge her after thinking that the amethyst-eyed inventor stole the chimerical "spotlight" Mikan believed she had.

They became best friends from thatday forward, according to Mikan's borderline syllogism, even though Hotaru frequently denies it unless... you pay her up to admit it.

Now here's an application of Coulomb's Law. Or maybe the positive end just can't help but attach itself to the negative end who already refused all the hugging and another hugging and more hugging (we could go on like this forever) but was clandestinely happy to have a friend who, despite being bullied, maintained a positive outlook on life. Isn't that ludicrously cute?

Reaching the part where Mikan's flashbacks are officially terminated, she stared at the sign again and let out an unruffled sigh.

"My same, same old Hotaru."

After that, she naively entered without even guessing the consequences for intruding TAKE NOTE Hotaru's room.

"HOTAR—" The eager girl wasn't able to finish her effervescent remark when some kind of robotic contraption spoke and got her fossilized.

"Baka detected. Intruder eradication will be initiated in T-minus 3 seconds… 2… 1. Target locked. Prepare to shoot."

Her impulse to just run betrayed her this time when she needed it the most when a squeaky-voiced, metallic, red-eyed bunny, with a touch of a robotic accent, has just dictated the inception of her torture. She was still in a stupefied state when an armada of (what else) automatic baka guns shot her at a point-blank range in a synchronized manner, just like in a firing squad, excruciating enough but, at least, you won't die. You are just coerced to suffer and relish the pain. Piece of cake. A colossal and inexorably monstrous cake.

"AAAAAAAHHHHHHH! PLEASE STOP! HELP! HELP! TSUBASA-SENPAI! IINCHO! NARUMI-SENSEI! NODACCHI! JINNO-SENSEI!"

_Huh? Why did I just ask help from Jin-Jin? Scratch that. As if he'd help me. He'll only strike me with his lightning till I burn and till I'm reduced to ashes and dust. Or, even worse, he'll shove his frog down my throat till I croak, err… I mean till I choke to death._

"Initiate emergency shutdown. Password: 1HI4RN3."

Mikan's agony finally came to its end when Hotaru came to the rescue… again. Well, sort of, because this bizarre mechanism was her idea in the first place, you know, to teach nincompoops a valuable and unforgettable lesson that the worst mistake you could ever commit is no taking her door's sign seriously and treating it like some crappy, old wod saying: "No worries. I'm just being sarcastic. Don't mind this sign. This is just a hoax. Oh, I love visitors. Come in, come in."

"Ouch. Owwy. Ow. Ow. Ow. My head… it hurts… I'm dead," said Mikan, whose attempt to stand up remained futile.

"I can't. Feel. My arms," she added. "Help," Mikan managed to blurt out with an evident whimper.

Hotaru Imai, who was now in the mood to cut her victim some slack, helped Mikan stand up with her wobbly knees.

"Sit here, dummy. You're trying to sit on another baka gun. Do you want your butt to swell, as well?"

"Uh, no?" responded Mikan who was brain-dead at the moment. Hotaru made her seat on a medium-size trunk near the bed.

'Call yourself lucky, baka. I was actually planning to use bazookas or even knives, spears, spikes…" stated Hotaru while pulling down some kind of lever.

Mikan gulped. She was brain-dead no more.

"Or maces, sickles, axes, swords…"

_For real?_

The one-star female elementary student could not take it anymore. Hotaru's monologue sent shivers down her spine.

"Fortunately for you, I also rejected the idea of electrocution," the amethyst-eyed genius continued.

_ELECTROCUTION? Gee, that made me feel better. I feel fortunate alright. _Mikan thought to herself sarcastically.

"Setting those up would probably be time-consuming. Besides, I have tons of things to do, project requests to finish. My clients expect these inventions and I don't expect these inventions to create themselves," uttered Hotaru while resetting the entire system.

The bruised Mikan sweatdropped, aided with a couple of eye twitches, upon hearing and getting what Hotaru really meant.

_Oh, you postponed the idea of using those… those things… those scary weapons because it's time-consuming and not because you cared about the absolute fact that you might have killed me in toto? Why you…?_

Mikan Sakura's nose flared because of slight anger and tried to perform her signature loser-flying kick (for details, please read Chapter 1 of the Gakuen Alice manga) at Hotaru. Good thing, she suddenly remembered that: (1) she was bruised, so that most likely reduced her attack quotient, (2) she was still surrounded by automatic, I repeat, **automatic** baka guns, so that must have… you know the rest and (3) her signature loser-flying kick never worked on Hotaru, so that leads us back to… baka guns - Mikan's favorite enemy.

"Here. Drink this," commanded Hotaru as she handed a small florence flask-like container to Mikan.

'W-what's this?" Mikan gulped, harboring reservations about the item given to her.

Hotaru gave her a grim stare. Although, Mikan wasn't really sure if it was just her imagination or some sinister illusion or the side effect of the expired howalon she just ate an hour ago.

"Poison," said Hotaru without much hint of expression.

"WAAAAAH?" Mikan Sakura's eyes widened in shock and nervously turned her head, with a sound effect similar to a creaking door, facing the container which she was still holding in her left hand.

"P-p-p-p-p-p-pois-poison?" She was too dumbstruck that she could not bring herself to say it matter-of-factly.

"Duh. Kidding," the short-haired girl reassured.

For approximately two-and-a-half seconds, Mikan managed to heave a sigh of relief but persisted on verifying what she really held.

"Okay, then… WHAT THE HECK IS THIS?"

"Brown-colored urine," Hotaru replied.

The victim's, for the second time around, eyes widened in shock and nervously turned her head, blah blah blah… let's pretend that you get the idea.

"Hotaruuuuuuu! I'm gonna die here guessing!"

"Oh! You're still alive all along? I though you were dead already. I'm surprised."

_I get it. I get it. She's bullying me again._

Mikan was about to hit her friend with the same glassware on the head. Good thing that she realized that that was a little out-of-character and that could have killed her friend. Oh, she thought that? Wow, Mikan, that's a first.

"Shut up, stupid narrator."

"Hm? Are you delirious?"

"No! And don't change the subject! What's this?"

"Hm. Just as I thought, the screws were a little loose. There, good as new," stated Hotaru Imai while repairing some part of her invention, not paying attention to the character who is ungrateful to poor narrators.

"YOU'RE NOT EVEN LISTENING!"

"Yes, I am."

"NO, YOU'RE- Wait. You replied?"

"No. I was talking to myself. Duh."

"Yes, you did."

"Did somebody say something? Hm. Must have been the wind. I better close the windows."

"You're mean."

"…"

"You're _mean_."

"Yes, I know. I always _win_."

"I said you're _mean_."

"Yes. The _wind_ is irritating."

Mikan felt all her body cells undergoing cytolysis as she ran out of patience.

"AAAAHHHHHH! Unfair! Unfair! UNFAAAAAAIR!" shrieked Mikan, pulling both of her pigtails off.

"Stop yelling, you idiot. I don't want the whole academy to think that I allow lunatics to enter my room."

"The hell I care! You've been messing around with me so now I'll repay you with my primal scream therapy. AAAAAAAAHHHHHHH—oof!" Hotaru silenced the tumultuous Mikan with a baka gun.

"HEY! That wasn't funny!"

"Serves you right. Who told you I was trying to be funny?"

Mikan comprehended at last that Hotaru has a point. So, she gave up. "I'm begging you... what's this?"

"Medicine."

"For what?"

"For those bruises... and for your stupidity that seem to be encumbered inside your brain cells."

"Really?"

Mikan slightly hesitated upon seeing the bubbly liquid that looks like liquefied mud. But when she removed the cork, the medicine's redolence was unfettered and titillated her sense of smell. That familiar aroma of captivating goodness made her mouth all watery. Now, tell me, who could resist a medicine that smells and tastes like... chocolate? Not even those with diabetes, I presume.

Within the blink of an eye, Mikan gulped the chocolate-flavored drug without leaving even a teeny-tiny, itsy-bitsy molecule of the medicine unconsumed.

"Whoa. Whoa there. Have some control. You almost devoured the container."

"Mmm. This sure is yummy. Can this medicine really cure me?"

"The bruises, yes. But your idiocy, I don't think so."

"Mmm. This is SO good. I feel... I feel... hey, wait a second. Where are my bruises?"

"Check your head. They might have wandered and accidentally went inside your brain."

"Oh. They're gone! I can feel my arms again. Cool. Thank you, thank you, thank - ACK!" exclaimed Mikan who attempted to asphyxiate Hotaru with a panda hug but was abruptly counter-attacked by another baka gun.

"Hmm. Didn't see that coming. Man, she's knocked out."

Hotaru tried to wake the unconscious Mikan who was still sprawling on the floor.

"Wake up, swirly eyes."

A low mumble escaped Mikan's mouth whilst she started opening her eyes. "Ah. My head is pounding. I may need another medicine."

"No can do. Out of stock."

"Waah? No more?" said Mikan, disappointed. "Please, please. I know there's more. Oh, come on," she pleaded while tugging Hotaru's skirt.

"Quit the tugging, will you? And puppy dog eyes don't work on me. Besides, I already told you I'm out of stock."

"Aww, bummer. Where'd you get it then?"

"Central Town. Where else? You think I stole it from Subaru-niisan?"

"Of course not. Hahaha," giggled Mikan imprudently.

Shortly after that, she realized and harked back to something she should have mentioned earlier, the sole purpose of her unwanted visit, the very reason why she imperiled herself the whole time.

"Oh, yeah. I almost forgot. You have to come with me right now. IT'S AN EMERGENCY!"

Seeing Mikan's troubled face, Hotaru became a little concerned.

She cocked her baka gun.

_This better be good. _She thought.

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**AUTHOR'S NOTE: **Ah! My first story! Uploaded at last! Awrighty. Don't sue me if it's bad but pls. don't hesitate to leave any comment, suggestion etc. Thankyooo! :D Watch out for the next chapter because Ruka will be there... and Natsume, too. *finally* Yey! \m/

_[ Edited: 25 April 2011 ]_


	2. Chapter 2: Of Howalon and Moron

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: **Jello! I'm back from the dead. At least that's what I think happened to me. Miss me? Alright, I guess I should really be dead for being so lackadaisical but, come on, I'm guilty as charged anyway. I changed the title because I found out that pheromones should be _smelled_, not _felt_. So, yea, here's Chapter 2. It's quite long. You could skip the NatsuMikan part if you want to. It's all up to you. :)

My most cordial gratitude to those awesome authors who reviewed, and also to all readers out there who cared enough to read this so far (yea, Chapter Two is _that_ far for a newb like me). Godspeed~ :D

_**Legend: **_Narration. "Person speaking." "_Animal speaking._" _Thoughts._

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*_howalon – fluff puffs_

_*__Toku-ryoku_ – _Special Ability type_

_*Kiken-nōryoku__- Dangerous Ability type_

* * *

_(SHORT RECAPITULATION FROM PREVIOUS CHAPTER)_

"Oh, yeah. I almost forgot. You have to come with me right now. IT'S AN EMERGENCY!"

Seeing Mikan's troubled face, Hotaru became a little concerned.

She cocked her baka gun.

_This better be good._ She thought.

* * *

**.:. CHAPTER TWO .:.**

**Of Howalon and Moron**

* * *

Hotaru's finger curled on the trigger. The way Mikan stridently uttered that there is an emergency made her a little discomfited. And yet, she did not let Mikan take notice of her slightly tremulous expression. No, not even to her idiot of a best friend. 'Cause Hotaru Imai _always_ keeps things on a safe side.

"What emergency are you talking about?" she calmly queried.

No reply poured forth from the other girl's lips. Instead, Mikan Sakura grabbed hold of the empty hand of her already confounded friend and stared directly at her amethyst-like orbs.

"As I was strolling around Central Town, a poster caught my eye…" Mikan's voice seemed very dead-serious at the moment. On the other hand, Hotaru's grip on her baka gun steadily loosened as she pictured her pig-tailed friend humming a cheerful tune and innocently roaming around, not to mention that dumb signature smile of hers oozing with pure optimism. Her imagination led her to a point where Mikan comes to a halt, eyes widening as large as a pair of oranges bulging out of their sockets. She could not hold her curiosity any longer… until…

"THERE'S A TWO-DAY SALE AT THE HOWALON STORE! SEVENTY-FIVE PERCENT OFF PER BOX!" Mikan's gleeful outburst eventually extinguished the tension building up inside her curious short-haired chum. What sheer joy that particular sale was to our Mikan. What sheer annoyance that same "emergency" was to our Hotaru. To Mikan, this is where things get lively. To Hotaru, this is where things get ugly.

"Come on, Hotaru! We better get going!" said Mikan, persistently pulling her infuriated best friend with her.

Within the blink of Mikan Sakura's eye, Hotaru dynamically withdrew her hand, tightened her grip on her upgraded baka gun once more, cocked it and sent a baka bullet whizzing through the air toward her victim's unshielded forehead.

It was a critical hit. The helpless opponent was unable to fight. Hotaru won. Ding! Ding!

"Baka," the straight-faced victor stated. "Some emergency. Why am I surprised anyway?" Hotaru just sighed while slipping her handy baka gun inside a teddy bear with a body that resembled a cylinder container, which was probably her version of a backpack. She could have resumed on her usual tinkering when she heard an irksome groan coming from Mikan who was tightly clutching her stomach. This caught her attention.

"Uhh.. it hurts." Mikan kept balled up and squirming on the floor as she allowed an audible grumble escape her mouth. Hotaru only stared at her, arms crossed.

"Quit faking. You got hit on the forehead, not on the stomach, dork."

Mikan paused and pondered what Hotaru said for a while. After finally realizing her obvious mistake, she immediately shifted hr hands from her stomach directly to her forehead and continued groaning. Witnessing this doltish act, Hotaru scoffed and rolled her eyes.

"Here is the deal: state what planet you're from then get the hell out of here or I'll give you a one-way ticket to an exclusive reunion with the baka guns you just met earlier," she huffed with her right thumb pointing at the aforementioned guns.

"If you like shooting me a lot with that gun of yours, why did you even give me that medicine in the first place?" the nullifying alice user questioned while rubbing her tumid forehead.

"If you dislike me shooting you a lot with this gun of mine, why did you even come here and ignored my door's sign board in the first place?" the witty invention alice user retaliated.

"Because…" The Sakura girl tried to defend herself. She struggled for passable reasons in order to persuade her bosom friend to come with her and spend blithesome time together… but none of them were good enough.

So, she came up with the only reason she could muster.

"I desperately want you to come with me and buy those howalon because I know you're a glutton and I know that you couldn't resist its taste!" She delivered without any pauses at all.

She panted after her own impulse.

She waited.

She… failed.

Hotaru remained still and resumed on staring at the Toku-ryoku Class student. The 'glutton' did not even wince, not a chance. And, especially, without any expression at all. _The renowned Hotaru Imai's silent treatment_. The inventor's gaze lasted only for a few seconds but Mikan felt like its duration exceeded to years. Due to the uninterrupted awkward silence that has been enveloping both of them, her body had no other choice but to tremble. She gulped a mouthful of saliva, she—

"That's all what I needed to hear." Hotaru shattered the room's reticence.

_Hotaru…_

_Could this finally mean…_

…_that you accept my invitation?_

Mikan's lips curved into a smile of gladness. Her eyes glimmered with hope. "Yay!" she involuntarily cheered.

"That's all what I needed to hear. _You may go_," Hotaru continued.

"Eh?" On the spur of the moment, thirteen question marks popped out above Mikan's head.

"I said that you may go."

"You're not coming with me?"

"Do I look like I'm coming with you?" Hotaru raised an eyebrow.

"I hope so."

"Nah. I feel like crushing your hopes today." The ice queen said without any hesitation.

Like a kid who dropped her howalon on a sticky mud, like an elementary student who eventually got humiliated in front of the whole academy after getting "tooth-kissed" by a seemingly arrogant boy, like an utterly clueless newbie girl who got her polka-dotted panty ripped by the same gorgeous academy Black Cat, Mikan Sakura howled her eyes out right after finally comprehending the situation.

"WAAAA! HOTARUUUU! WAAAAAA!" She insistently dove on the floor just to wrap her arms around Hotaru's leg; the bawling continues. "You're not doing this to me. Tell me you're not," she begged.

"Yes, I am," Hotaru curtly replied.

"You're unbelievable! WAAAAAAAAA!" Mikan sniffed.

"Tell that to yourself, baka."

Similar to a limp, the exasperated Hotaru, with a moron still attached to her leg, dragged Mikan out of her room and scraped her off exactly like a gum sticking under her soles.

"Come back when you know the purpose of sign boards and when you know the accurate definition of _emergency_. Understand?"

Mikan lifted a finger and before she could even open her mouth to answer back, Hotaru culminated the 'conversation' with a brusque statement, "As expected, you don't," and a door slammed shut.

…

* * *

…

It took Hotaru seconds resting her back on the cold, wooden door. She glanced at some of her inventions congregated inside the three-star room. It was rather unusual for her to concoct or make her self-patented creations in her room for she knows very well that she already have a separate lab exclusively built for that purpose. And she seemed pestered by the mere fact that she was dragged in _that deal_ which indirectly entailed extra effort in order to transfer all necessaries from the lab to her room just to get herself busy even before the plan was executed.

_Sorry, Mikan. Someone paid me to do those things to you. I was asked to turn you down. _The three-star student thought to herself as she carried her feet towards the window.

She surveyed the surroundings outside until a pair of crimson orbs belonging to a raven-haired lad met her eyes. It was none other than…

_Hyuuga._

Aye, the person responsible for Mikan Sakura's ordeal. The person who had the guts just enough to bribe even her dearest friend. The person who had only one thing in his mind.

Both gazed at each other's sharp, piercing eyes as if telepathically conversing with each other.

_You got what you wanted. You'll spend time with her… alone._

Natsume naughtily smirked in response.

_Better make sure she'll have a good time or you'll definitely get what you deserve._

_Come on. Do I look like that type of guy? _The fire alice user confidently retorted.

_We'll see. Can't wait. _The ice queen answered back, crossing her arms.

The special star student seemed to get the bottom-line of their virtual dialogues. The entire _talk_ was finally cut off when Mikan approached Natsume Hyuuga of the Kiken-nōryoku Class.

"Oi. What took you so damn long?" he innocently interrogated with a firm voice.

"I… a-ano… Hotaru…" Mikan stuttered. She could not afford telling Natsume about how Hotaru turned her down, too ashamed to admit that he waited for thirty irksome minutes for nothing.

"Inviting her to come with us should only take five minutes, more or less. You what? EXCHANGED BIOGRAPHIES? For thirty minutes?" Natsume's tone was on the brink of shouting. Only then that he realized he got carried away pretending to be the irreproachable one. Mikan did not verbally react. She gave him a pout and a whack on his arm instead.

"She must be busy. That's all!" Mikan Sakura defended. _You don't even know what exactly happened._

"More like greedy," he muttered.

"What did you say?"

"Nothing."

Mikan heaved a hefty sigh while Natsume looked down, with his hand on his pocket.

"Oh, my gosh! The howalon sale! Let's go!" she snapped back to reality.

"About time,'" he mumbled again as he lazily followed Mikan who was now burning with enthusiasm.

"HURRY!"

Natsume could sense the urgency in Mikan's overly exuberant voice as if she was getting him to avert his eyes on something and focus his attention to the path that leads to nowhere else but Central Town.

"Wait just a minute," Natsume said sternly.

Mikan's back was facing Natsume. Her skin started to perspire as she reluctantly turned her head facing the boy who was now rubbing his chin.

"You have an enormous lump on your forehead."

_Oh, please. Don't get me started on that. _She turned over in her mind.

"R-really?" Mikan tried to wear an innocent smile just to tell Natsume that it was really nothing at all. Her fingers traced the outline of the big, rubicund bump on her forehead.

_Tch. It still hurts. _The unexpected twinge made her curse silently.

"Does it hurt?" Natsume asked without any indication of concern.

_Imai really overdid it this time_. He thought, grinning slyly.

_What's with that's stupid grin just now? WHY DON'T WE TRADE OUR FOREHEADS AND FIND OUT FOR YOURSELF IF IT HURTS OR NOT? _ "Nope. Not at all," she lied. Mikan retained her smile. She would not let herself lose to Natsume.

"Don't fool yourself. And don't waste your efforts trying to smile it off 'cause you look constipated." Mikan was dumbfounded after hearkening what the guy in front of her said. She felt her dignity smashed to smithereens.

"Mou, Natsume, that's a bit too much. This is nothing, okay?" Mikan got really ticked off by Natsume but she was doing her best keeping her cool.

"You can't blame me. I can't help but notice that _lost boob_ on your forehead. That should be planted on your chest-" Natsume threw a brief glance at Mikan's Lilliputian front, denied of womanly glories.

"-_**NOT**_ ON YOUR FOREHEAD, POLKA-DOTS." Natsume tapped Mikan's head and overtook her whilst she stood completely still on her spot.

_Lo-lost b-boob?_ _He's sooooo going to get it. I'm going to give him a lost boob after I mega punch him on the face… wait! That sounded so wrong. Ugh. You get the idea._

Actually, Mikan was incredibly pissed. A vein popped at the back of her head, her jaw tightened, she gritted her teeth, she clenched her fists and noticeable redness was plastered on her cheeks, fuming with rage. This usually happens when she gets an insult overdose. She may have the ability to nullify Natsume's fire but his constant insults were another story.

And now she's in dire need of Mr. Bear's axe.

The furious Mikan was on the verge of going berserk and savagely slicing Natsume's ear off until she turned around and saw Natsume suddenly kneeling on bare dirt with his left hand as his support, preventing him from toppling over. His other hand covered up his mouth, looking like he was about to cough blood at any second. Mikan gasped, covering her mouth with both of her cold, trembling hands, as well. She started to perceive this terrible foreboding tugging inside her chest, making her cringe in an undefined pain and unutterable worry.

The fourth Alice type.

_Natsume, no._ Miniscule crystals of melancholy began to accumulate at the corner of her eyes.

The Alice type that has a tremendous impact on the user's life.

Instinctively, the deeply-concerned Mikan Sakura headed slowly towards Natsume whose back was facing her.

"Natsume…" Mikan let out as a faint whisper, her voice having lost its usually elated tonality.

"Mikan…" Natsume responded with a hoarse voice, muffled by his right hand still covering his mouth. His hurt-laden tone seemed to beckon Mikan to come even closer. And so, she did. The moment she crouched down and her face was on par with Natsume's, he instantly vocalized three words, without any compunction, that Mikan did not anticipate to hear from him.

"Idiot, as always."

Natsume repeated the way he pressed his forehead against Mikan's like what happened during the festival (Special Class's RPG Alladin), as he said those three words that will surely make her blood pressure go loco afterwards. But before that most-awaited moment, Mikan's eyes widened even more, still bamboozled. She gradually absorbed every detail of it and let her brain circuit eventually reconnect until it finally hit her.

"YOU INSUFFERABLE PIG! I HATE YOU! HOW DARE YOU FOOL ME AGAIN? WITH THAT SAME, OLD TRICK, NO LESS!"

Mikan screeched, tearing asunder her vocal cords like hell, while simultaneously hurling pebbles at Natsume who effortlessly dodged every nasty fling coming from her. Finding out that she practically consumed the surroundings' supply of pebbles, the call of desperation has utterly reached her mind, coercing her to also lob her shoes at the evasive Natsume. Even her primarily clean, white socks were not exempted from such cruel fate.

"Take that,—" There goes one sock. "—you pig!" And another one.

The hysterical one-star student's high-pitched voice sounded so triumphant as if she was expecting to kill her target with only a pair of white socks.

He snorted. "Pig, huh? How ironic, considering that came from you, PIGTAILS." He made sure the last word was mouthed loudly and clearly to tick off the riled Mikan even more.

"Stop it. Stop calling me that." She stood still; her fingers tightly and precisely curved at the middle part of her fist.

"Then wear your hair down."

His swift words sounded more like a polite suggestion rather than a heartless command. This sentence was supposed to terminate the whole nonsensical argument but Mikan, being her traditional dunderhead self, apparently _knows_ how to _carry on_ and play the game.

"And why would I do that?" She raised an eye brow.

"You look boring. You have no style," Natsume matter-of-factly reasoned out.

"What do you know about style anyway?"

"Style is something you obviously don't possess." Bull's eye.

Mikan began to grunt. "You're a jerk, you know that?" she huffed while basically glaring at him.

"Big words for an airhead."

"I should have gone to the howalon store by myself," Mikan murmured, arms crossed. The girl trudged past Natsume who, in turn, only managed to gape at her. This was quite alarming for him. After planning everything, there is no way he is not coming with her.

"It's probably closed by now," he said plainly, partially anticipating that that would deter Mikan from leaving him behind.

"No, it's not," she countered. "Besides, I already pre-ordered howalon from the store and I just have to claim them until today." She kept walking, much to Natsume's dismay.

"How many did you order anyway?" he asked.

And with that question, she stopped and beamed at him. "Fifteen."

Natsume grasped the chance to catch up with her. "Pieces?"

"Boxes," she corrected whilst reaching for his hand and intertwining it with hers. Caught off guard by the sensation of Mikan's soft, silky hand on his own, Natsume solely bowed his head just to conceal the ruddiness evinced by his face. Still, both their lips did not hesitate to give off such precious smiles, emblazoning their red-letter moment even more.

And with that, the 'war' simply subsided.

* * *

She was still perching on the window sill as she gently removed her invention, the Eagle Eye spectacles. Without the service of the glasses, they only appeared as two lean figures marching towards their destination at Central Town. Right after her feet settled down on the floor, she turned around again and threw one last furtive glance at Mikan and Natsume through the pellucid glass window.

She sighed. "My work here is done."

Then, Hotaru left her room.

* * *

An exhausted soul craving a temporary escape.

That is precisely how Ruka inwardly considered his current psychological status. He knew—he always knew—that there was something broken inside of him that will certainly entail more time to regenerate. Was is something broken beyond repair? He hoped not. Because until now, he still could not recuperate. And it is killing him.

Life was at its level where it sucked the most. For him, of course. He was hurt. He was wounded—terribly wounded—by none other than himself. He could not blame anyone except for that same, blue-eyed, blonde guy he sees in mirrors. He could not impute all of this to Natsume for falling in love with the same girl who made two of the academy's eligible bachelors' hearts to flutter whenever they sense that charming and cherubic aura of hers. He could not blame Mikan for being (so dense) superlatively adorable, congenial, bubbly and winsome even though those were quite a mouthful. Above all, Usagi could not be held responsible for Ruka's melancholy since this innocent creature was only nibbling his shoe right now.

But why did that last inane thought suddenly intervened with his ongoing, heartbreaking drama episode? Beats him. Might as well leave the poor, little guy out of this. Usagi was always innocent.

Innocent, yet persistent. For a pet rabbit, that is.

"_Ruka-sama.._" Usagi yanked his shoelace.

Ruka did not budge though. His gaze was fixated at the page of the book which discussed the phytochemicals present in _Citrus sinensis_, otherwise known as an orange. He flipped the book to another page.

He was the only student sitting inside the room or so that was what he knew. Pure numbness seemed to engulf his entire being, paying zero attention to this surroundings. The only things existent as of now were the bold, black letters forming the word "Tangerine" and the queer, tickly feeling on his right foot. However, he chose to drench the latter into oblivion as the former made him engage in an inescapable reverie: the letters hovering in mid-air, dancing accordingly with the indefatigable resonance of her jaunty laughter.

_Ruka-pyon! _Mikan's euphonic giggles continued playing in his ears.

"Oh, have you heard?"

His unparalleled musing was about to reach its climax when the voice of a certain, animated female student, walking along the corridor, made it evanesce in just an instant.

"Natsume-kun and Mikan-chan were seen together in Central Town!"

"Of course they're together, they're ALWAYS TOGETHER. They're partners, remember? When will you ever get it through your thick skull?" responded bitterly by another student who was palpably against the newsflash.

"I know that already but seeing Natsume-kun giving flowers to Mikan-chan was just so friggin' fantastic. Plus, this was the first time he ever gave flowers to a girl! Ooh, how romantic!"

"Moron! Mikan-chan bought the flowers herself! She only asked Natsume to hold them for a while because she was afraid that the boxes she were holding would slip off her hands, you dolt."

"No, that's not true!"

"It is."

"Fine, let's suppose that's true," surrendered the girl. "But don't pretend you didn't see how Natsume-kun caught Mikan-chan when she slipped because of an orange peeling."

"Banana peeling, dumbass," the other rectified.

"Exactly like a prince saving his princess! Ain't Natsume-kun the coolest? Everybody witnessed what happened was practically awestruck. Majority of the girls squealed like crazy fan girls!" exclaimed the fanatic who simply rebuffed her companion's derogatory correction.

"And here you are talking as if you're not one of those crazy fan girls."

"You're just jealous of Mikan-chan," she said smugly.

"What the hell? Why would I be jealous of Mikan-chan, dammit? I'M A BOY! How brain-dead can you get, Yamane?" the male student reacted offensively.

"Tee-hee. You're adorable when you're like that, Endo-chan, err… Endo-kun."

Luckily, Ruka already refused to prick his ears any further to the conversation of the two unfamiliar students. Thank goodness he was not able to listen to the unnecessary details of it anymore. The last thing he ever heard from the confabulation, while still staring at the book he was not veritably reading, made him clench his fist firmly.

_Exactly like a prince saving his princess!_

That did it. Thanks to that girl, he was now craving to insert somebody inside a gorilla's nostril.

"_Ruka-sama…_" This was the eleventh time Usagi called out to Ruka. Again, his master kept brushing him off. Ruka was still preoccupied by the stuff he just heard. Little did he know that Usagi managed to wrench his shoe off his foot.

Usagi tilted his head like any other fetching pet would do. "_Is Ruka-sama okay?_"

"Yeah." At long last, the little guy's little mouth curved into a smile upon hearing his owner's epigrammatic reply. The buck brightened up a little and tried to depict more concern.

"_Is Ruka-sama sure he's okay?"_

"Yeah." Ruka's eyes were still glued to the book which he was evidently not reading anymore. Usagi was in close proximity to being glad that his master recognized this fluffy-tailed bunny's existence but then again, things should be verified.

"_Ruka-sama, what's one plus one?"_

"Yeah."

Now it was confirmed. _Ruka-sama's not okay. _This tiny companion of Ruka perceived something that seemed to agitate Ruka's train of thoughts. He had to save his Ruka-sama.

Desperate times call for desperate measures.

"AAAHHH!" An unforeseen paroxysm erupted from Ruka after his dearest pet eventually bit his butt, without any qualms. At most five pairs of eyes looked baffled at him as if he just gobbled an ogre.

While rubbing his sore tush, Ruka could not help but let out a groan. He froze exactly on the spot when he saw how flummoxed his classmates were as they all watched him. And he knew he had to escape effectively, immediately.

"AAHH!" he repeated awkwardly. "At last, I _found_ you, Usagi! (_bad acting_) Let's play hide-and-seek somewhere else, shall we?" The mortified animal pheromone alice user lifted his rabbit and instantly exited the room. He felt his cheeks heat up and he mentally punched himself in order to somehow forget the fact that he just made the lamest escapade in history.

_God, how humiliating._

Four of his classmates left inside the room looked at each other, utter perplexity written all over their faces. One of the five went near Ruka's seat and picked something up. Something black and shiny. Something with laces.

"He left his shoe."

Life was _indeed_ at its level where it sucked the most. For Ruka, of course.

* * *

"What was that for?"

It was a rather fine day, to say the least. Nothing is really out of the ordinary. In all honesty, Alices have a different definition of "ordinary". Whatever that is, it is neither a theorem nor postulate that the Alices' version of "ordinary" was something way out of a commoner's league. And yes, it is generally accepted also that each and everyone has to bear both the perks and onus of their 'Alicehood'. But, setting all of that verbose crap aside, it does not entirely mean they cannot have fun at all. They play Alice Dodgeball. They participate in an Alice Festival. They flirt and subsequently get their asses kicked. They goof around. They hog food. They mess around and get punished by either Narumi-sensei's smooch or Jinno-sensei's zap of lightning. They undergo dangerous missions. They create odd contraptions. They make friends. They make enemies. They love. They laugh. They leave. They live. (They die.) They cry.

Ah, yes. There is something more. They reprimand their pet rabbits.

"Usagi! What was that for?"

Ruka was on his way to the barn situated in a sequestered hill as he constantly demanded an answer from a hapless rabbit.

"_Ruka-sama wasn't okay back there he didn't look at me even if I called out to him Ruka-sama Ruka-sama I said but he didn't notice I guess I was worried I asked what's one plus one he said yeah so I—"_

"Bit my butt?"

"_Yes, bit the butt of Ruka-sama. Usagi is sorry-sorry._"

They were already at the porch of the barn when Usagi finished telling him his part. The buck promptly landed on the floor and covered its face while chanting "Usagi is sorry" many a time and oft. Ruka heaved a hefty sigh as he raised his animal buddy who reluctantly lifted its small head in order to look at him in the eye. Ruka's lips curved into a smile. He just cannot stay mad at this cutesy, bushy-tailed chum of his. Besides, he himself was perfectly aware of the point that he was at fault. He admitted he was terribly engrossed by the harrowing thought of Mikan and Natsume, _his best friend_, dating. But that was not enough reason to lock himself up in a dark, dreadful prison of odium and acrimony; that was not enough reason to divert his ill emotions to Usagi just because its instincts told it to bite his unsuspecting owner's bum.

He wanted revenge, yes. But, after all, the sweetest revenge is to forgive.

"Don't worry, Usagi. I'm not mad. Just promise me you won't do that again."

"_Hai (Yes), Ruka-sama!_"

"Good. Come, Usagi. The other have probably been waiting,' he prodded.

The rabbit was once again buoyant as it entered the grange. Ruka, on the other hand, cautiously halted for a while and scanned the vicinity before setting foot inside. He had no need for another ignominious experience. Guaranteeing that the coast was clear, that nobody was around, with aplomb, he unveiled the true nature of his alice.

"I missed all of you, my lovelies! GROUP HUG!"

"_Ruka-sama!_" the barn animals exalted in unison. "_We missed you, too!_"

Like any other bonding moment, each animal had their chance to glomp their master who was incredibly vivacious. They happily licked every centimeter of the boy's felicitous face. "Hey, that tickles!" His animal friends remained heedless to what he said. "But I love you!" Then the air was once filled with cachinnation.

Amid all of his desolation, how he loved the relentless reverberation of the neighs of horses, purring cats, panting dogs (yes, cats and dogs are considered barn animals for now), chirping birds flitting above his blonde head, the seemingly tittering squirrels and chipmunks, skunks who tried so hard not to emit any deadly stench—"Who farted?"—but failed absolutely, even hissing snakes who were also inveigled by the intensity of Ruka's alice—"_Ruka-ssssssssama!_"—and the multiple clicking sounds of a camera.

Oh, God. That did not sound right.

"What a fascinating reunion. This could make a fortune," said a familiar voice coming from an imperturbable, amethyst-eyed inventor standing on the threshold. All blissful however silly noises have been dissolved the moment Hotaru Imai came into the picture. Or came to take a picture. Get it?

"I-Imai, what are you—"

"Doing here?" she cut in. "Long story but no worries, I'm about to leave anyway. It's been, uh, _nice_ working with you, Nogi. _As always._ Please do tell your animal friends that I also _thank_ them for their generous participation."

Ruka gawked at her as she slowly turned her back from them and walked gradually away from the barn, the Polaroid camera still on hand. All animals remained motionless at the cursory stopover of this female stranger.

"Hold up, Imai!" he called out.

Hotaru stopped. For a few seconds, she peered at him through peripheral view. She then equipped her latest invention, the cheetah boots, and made a run for it. Ruka was astounded by how outrageously brisk Hotaru was.

_Cheetah boots. Ridiculous._

Impetuously, he summoned some horse from the pack and three stallions reported forthwith.

Ruka's jaw dropped. "You've got to be kidding me. What's the meaning of this? Do I look like I'm going to ride three horses, all at once? One for my head, one for my body and one for my legs? Come on. This is urgent. Imai's getting away!"

"_Hop on, Ruka-sama_," one of the three horses proposed. He found no reason to mess around anymore.

"Thanks. After her!" he directed as he climbed on its back.

Without much further ado, the horse galloped as swiftly as it could towards the girl they were after.

"_What did she do, Ruka-sama?_" the stallion queried due to sheer curiosity.

"She took something." _My dignity. Again._

"_She took what, Ruka-sama? Your shoe?_"

The master was nonplussed by his horse's surmise.

_Dang! Not that one! Which reminds me… I forgot it inside the classroom. Sheesh. I don't have a face anymore._

"No," he replied curtly. "Never mind what she took but I really need to get to her," he added, seeing his horse pining for a complete response.

After that, the horse dashed to a full throttle. Ruka had to grab really tight so he would not fall. The hill was getting slantwise as they dart further and Hotaru was still leading. And it was because of those boots, those monstrous cheetah boots.

_I have no choice._

Ruka struggled to balance himself in order to stand at his steed's back. He nearly nose-dived straight on the ground; nevertheless, his reflexes came to his rescue. He sat back again properly at the saddle and girded himself before making another audacious attempt to launch himself at the invention alice user.

_For two years, I've been invariably blackmailed and mortified. Never again. Not this time. I may be an idiot for doing this. I may now be acting like I gargled shards of glass for breakfast. But enough is enough._

He breathed his deepest sigh. He gathered his required momentum. And jumped with all his might. If not for a missing shoe, the scene was almost perfect. If only she was not running away from him, Hotaru would have taken another snapshot of her favorite subject. He was flying in mid-air. No, he was falling. With style.

And now, he was just one meter away from his target.

_I got you now, Imai. Everything ends here._

"You idio—" BAM!

Because of gravity's magnum opus, Ruka crashed headlong with Hotaru. Together, their bodies rolled down the characteristically earthy hill; their once-unblemished uniforms collecting dirt. Certain _oof'_s and _ow_'s alternatively escaped their lips. Both already acquired contusions as they were nearing the end of the slope. But there was an ostensibly large rock that got in the way and that is where Hotaru's head clashed.

Ruka felt awfully vertiginous when he tried opening his eyes. He found himself lying on top of Hotaru and gasped in horror when he saw Hotaru's face drenched in viscous blood. He nearly fainted after seeing her head bleeding like hell but he strained to set his mind over matter.

"_Ruka-sama!_" Usagi's tiny voice caught his attention. He turned and saw the buck hurtling towards him. "_Ruka-sama!_"

"Usagi! Where's Washi (Eagle)? Please tell him to find Natsume and usher him here. Hurry!"

"_Ha-hai, Ruka-sama!_"

With that, the rabbit left to fulfill its mission.

Ruka was currently in a state of pallor as he removed his polo, leaving him with a T-shirt which he wore underneath it. He used the polo to wipe off the blood gushing from the unconscious girl. But he could not desist the bleeding even though his polo which was white _ab initio_ (from the beginning) already turned red due to too much blood absorption.

His vision become hazy when he could not impede the welling up of tears any longer. He was washed up by a surge of guilt. He never wanted any of this to happen. He never did. Or maybe that was what realization told him.

"I'm sorry."

There was a distinguishable heart-rending crack in his voice as he uttered those words. He caught a glimpse of the Polaroid camera resting on her hand.

It was broken.

The lense and the sensitivity control panel were immensely ruptured. In spite of that, nothing can be compared to the extreme anguish one would feel if they glanced at Hotaru's condition. And that is what Ruka unerringly felt at the moment. He was weeping as he knelt near Hotaru when somebody spoke.

"Who—who are you?" It was Hotaru herself.

Ruka's eyes widened. He saw pure emptiness and loss of luster in her eyes which were once all-knowing and esoteric.

_No, don't tell me she has an amn—_"Imai," he spoke.

"I see. Your name's Imai."

"What? NO!"

"Then what is it?"

_How am I suppose to answer that? God, no. This has to be a dream. It **has** to._

_Everything ends here_. That was what he thought before plummeting to this intricate situation. How oxymoronic indeed because it turned out that what he believed was the complete opposite of what was going to happen to him, to her, to both of them.

After all, there is still nothing to end just yet. Because everything _starts_ here.

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: **I think I got carried away by the NatsuMikan part but… no regrets! I just love including them and giving them enough exposure. Guess I deserve to be pummeled for not updating these last four months. Apologies. But, I do hope you liked this chapter and will stay tuned. (I'll try updating as soon as possible from now on. I don't want to swear though coz I don't like giving people false hopes.) Although I really can't promise I'd still manage to create another chapter as long as this. Gosh. I should cut this off. But, nah. I've changed my mind. :D You're the coolest. Make my day.

**REVIEWS? SUGGESTIONS? COMMENTS? QUESTIONS? ADVICES? ANYONE? :D**

* * *

_GODSPEED~_

_J. Mrrtynn_

_25 April 2011  
_


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